In Tom Brown’s 11 seasons as head coach at Sam Houston State, the women’s soccer program has made impressive strides, becoming a force in the Southland Conference.
Behind a tenacious defense and strong finish to the season, Sam Houston captured its first 10-win season (10-6-5) in 2015 while making its first Southland Conference Tournament championship match in 10 seasons, before falling in penalty kicks. The Bearkats posted three clean sheets at the tournament, while finishing second in the Southland in goals allowed per match (0.83) and shutouts (9). On Oct. 30, Brown led Sam Houston to a 1-0 victory against Stephen F. Austin, ending the Ladyjacks' 32-match league unbeaten streak.
In 2014, the Bearkats posted their best season in league play since the program began in 2003. The Kats won a program-high eight games (8-2-1) in Southland play and finished in second place – also the program’s high mark. The team also set records for goals in Southland play (23) while sophomore Allie Johnson set the program mark with goals in five consecutive games.
Brown became the second head coach in program history on June 18, 2008. That fall, the Kats produced the team’s first winning season, finishing 9-7. Sam Houston set school records for longest winning streak (7), consecutive shutouts (7) and fewest goals allowed (17).
Under the direction of Brown, the squad has qualified for the league tournament nine of the last 11 seasons, advancing to the semifinals five times.
For the first time in program history, Sam Houston players earned first-team all-conference and Southland postseason special individual awards. Since 2008, the Kats have set 24 individual and team school records.
In his 23 years as a head coach, Brown holds a career mark of 228 victories, 253 losses and 51 ties.
Brown built upon this success as the squad again takes on a schedule that challenges the team as well as give them opportunities to prepare for league play.
“Our main goal is to build confidence in the players, but at the same time, we want situations we can use to teach them about what it takes to get to the next level,” Brown said. “Our players have demonstrated they have the ability to compete at a high level in the league. Now we need to build to the point where we can play at that level constantly.”
Previously serving as head coach at Sterling College in Kansas, William Carey College in Mississippi and Angelo State University in San Angelo, Brown produced a 138-140-30 overall record in 15 seasons.
At Sterling Brown led the women’s team to its first ever appearance in the national rankings and was the 1994 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Before becoming a head coach, Brown served as an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa, Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) and Midwestern State University. At William Carey, Brown’s squad earned a No. 2 NAIA national ranking. Brown was named the Gulf Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 1995.
During his 11 seasons at Angelo State, Brown built a solid program from the ground up. In his first two years, he led the team to back-to-back seasons with record win totals. In eight of the last nine seasons the Rambelles were regionally-ranked. The head coach guided the team to six consecutive Lone Star Conference post-season appearances.
Brown’s coaching philosophy is simple - keep pressure on the defense and try to create as many scoring opportunities as possible. He uses an aggressive formation with three forwards and likes to push the ball up the field and attack the goal. Because of that, he said the high-energy play also makes for a better fan experience at Pritchett Field.
“Our style of soccer is fun to watch. I hope the community will come out and support this team,” Brown said.
At Angelo State, Brown’s players excelled both on the field and in the classroom. The Rambelles had a consistent presence on the All-Lone Star Conference teams including the 1997 Player of the Year and 1998 Freshman of the Year. The program also produced its first Academic All-American in 2001 while the 2000 and 2002-06 teams won national team academic awards.
That academic success has continued at Sam Houston as the soccer squad compiled team grade point averages above 3.0 and earned recognition with Southland Conference and National Soccer Coaches of America Association (NSCAA) academic team and individual awards.
Brown has served eight years as a member of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region III staff. He worked on ODP staffs of Oklahoma, Kansas, Mississippi and North Texas.
He holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A license, an English Football Association (FA) B goalkeeper license and is awaiting final testing on the FA A goalkeeper license. He served as the NSCAA National Rankings Chair for NCAA Division II women’s soccer and was a member of the NCAA Soccer Rules Committee.
Brown played soccer at Midwestern State where he led the Indians to three straight appearances in the NAIA National Tournament.
As a professional, Brown played for the Amarillo Challengers and Oklahoma City Warriors of the United States Indoor Soccer League (USISL) and the Tulsa Ambush of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).
He was named team “Defensive Most Valuable Player” and overall MVP at Amarillo and helped Oklahoma City to the national championship game in 1991. Also an elite-level team handball player, Brown was a member of the 1990 US Olympic Festival South team.
A native of Houston, Brown earned his bachelor’s degree from Midwestern State in 1989 and his master’s degree in sports management from Tulsa in 1993. He and his wife Kristen have two sons, Tommy and Taylor, and a daughter, Rebecca.
